Minneapolis Institute of Art

Square Corner Cabinet with Latticework Upper Doors

China

Date

c. 1600

Medium

Huanghuali hardwood and pai-tung hardware

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

This handsome storage cabinet is constructed entirely in huang-hua-li hardwood including its back and top panels. Only the interior shelves are of soft wood. The upper section of the cabinet, with its latticework doors, was most likely used to display precious objects. Called confounding the cat cabinets by some Chinese, it served the dual purpose of protecting display pieces while concealing more mundanestored items from view. Versatile cabinets such as this functioned equally well in scholar's libraries, the women's quarters, and public spaces within upper-class Chinese homes. China, Asia

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